


A New Path

by CubbieGirl1723



Series: The Path [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Holidays, Mistletoe, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Season/Series 03, Veronica Mars Holiday Fic Grab Bag, fix it jesus, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 12:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17001666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CubbieGirl1723/pseuds/CubbieGirl1723
Summary: Maybe it’s time to forge a new path. Again. One that she actually wants to stay on.





	A New Path

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by Prompt 46–Logan and Veronica, after season 3 breakup, meet at a Christmas party—and Prompt 14–“If it involves fake smiling, I’m not going.”

“C’mon, V, you’ve gotta go.”

Veronica squashes the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she unpacks her favorite grey hoodie. 

“Actually, Wallace, I don’t. I haven’t seen my BFF in months; let’s do something just us tonight!” She injects her voice with a little extra pep and wishes Wallace could see her so she could toss in a head tilt. 

“You’re home for three weeks, right? We’ve got time.”

“But—”

He cuts her off. “This girl from my calc class study group is gonna be there. You could be my wingman.”

“Oh I see.” She flops down on her bed. “You don’t really want to see me. You just want me to help you get a girl. If it involves fake smiling, I’m not going.”

Wallace ignores her protests. “You said your dad’s not even there! You’re in college. I’m picking you up in an hour.”

She sighs. “Fine!” But he’s already hung up. 

Veronica turns to her closet. Most of her ‘party’ clothes are still in Palo Alto but hopefully she can find something that works.

——  
An hour later, clad in her black leather jacket, a mini skirt, boots, and black eyeliner, she hops in Wallace’s new Jeep and gives him a hug. 

“Even if I’m protesting this, I’ve missed my BFF.” She smiles and leans her head back against the seat rest. Her hair frames her face in soft waves and Wallace gives her a beaming grin. 

“I’ve missed you, too, V. Thanks for coming tonight.”

“Not like you gave me much choice,” she mutters and fiddles with his radio dials, resetting his presets to annoy him. He slaps her hand away. 

“I’m really not looking forward to running into the old Hearst gang, if you know what I mean.” 

He gives her a sly look. “Piz is already in Oregon, if that’s what you’re really asking.”

She lets out a breath of relief. “And Parker?”

Wallace shrugs. “Dunno. I didn’t really see her this semester.”

“You have plans to see Mac while you’re home?” He asks after a beat. 

She nods as they pull up in front of a frat house. “Yep. Coffee date next week.”

“Good. Okay, this girl’s name is Shandra. Be sure to talk me up. But not too much friend zone stuff.” 

Veronica rolls her eyes. “Do you want to just give me a script?”

Wallace is impervious to her sarcasm, he just winks at her. “You wouldn’t follow it. You’re good on your feet. You got this,” he encourages as they exit the car. 

She can hear the blaring music from outside the house and she steels herself for the coming headache. 

The house is full of Hearst coeds; pretty sorority girls and unshaven, shaggy-haired men celebrating the end of finals week and the freedom of Christmas break. The crush of bodies, the warmer temperature in the house, and the pounding music threaten to overwhelm her but Wallace looks back at her in the doorway and grabs her hand, pulling her inside, laughing. 

He steers her through the living room and into the kitchen, fishing a can of soda out of a cooler and putting it into her hands. He smiles at her grateful look and, even though she’s standing next to him, she’s hit with a desperate longing for Wallace. 

She’s made friends at Stanford; she’s worked hard to do so. She decided that she needed a fresh start, and so she’s trying to be more social, more outgoing, more like a normal college girl. Her roommate, Katie, is nice enough, and she’s friendly with some other girls in her dorm. She’s stayed away from investigating and no one has noticed, or at least commented, on the fact that she will only drink bottled water or soda. And if normal is a little more boring than she’s used to, feels a little more like playing a role than she expected, well, this was what she wanted so it will be fine. 

But there’s no one like Wallace. 

“C’mon.” He tugs her over to a corner and whispers in her ear, pointing out Shandra and positioning them in her eye line and waving. She has caramel colored skin and long braids that she tosses over her shoulder. Her mini-skirt, tall boots, and clinging sweater show off her curvy figure and her eyes light up when she spots Wallace. 

Shandra excuses herself from her current conversation and makes her way over to them. Veronica tries to stay in the moment and talk up her BFF suitably but mid-sentence she spots Logan across the room and she trails off. 

She hasn’t seen Logan since that day in the Hearst cafeteria; she’d like to say that she hasn’t thought about him, either, but that’s a lie. However, she’s worked hard to school her thoughts so that when they start to veer into the Logan direction, she can set up roadblocks and shut it down. 

Seeing him across the room, though, her roadblocks crumble and she feels actual physical pain at how good he looks. By focusing on his negative qualities whenever he popped into her head, she had been able to convince herself that he wasn’t really that handsome, he really hadn’t been that great in bed, and he was a totally unsuitable boyfriend for the person she was now. 

He really is that handsome, though. (She doesn’t let herself remember that he was pretty great in bed, too.) His hair is longer than she remembers and is artfully styled. His frayed jeans hang low on his hips and his tight black t-shirt simply reads ‘College,’ John Belushi-style. She stares just a beat too long and he must feel her eyes on him because he looks up from the tall, curvy blonde he’s talking to and catches her gaze. 

Being the entire focus of Logan’s stare is a powerful thing. She had forgotten how he can send lightening bolts through her body with just a glance from his brown eyes and they are locked on her now. The pretty blonde puts her hand on his arm to try to regain his attention but he’s already moving across the room to her. 

He stops in front of her. “Hi.” 

Veronica looks around and realizes that Wallace and Shandra have moved away. She wants to turn and glare at Wallace for dragging her to this stupid party and putting her in this situation where she could possibly run into Logan, but she can’t take her eyes off him. 

“Logan. Hi.” Her voice sounds rusty, like she hasn’t spoken in days. He pretends like he doesn’t notice, though, and steps forward, bridging the gap between them, and gives her an awkward half-hug. It’s mostly arms and shoulders, as if they don’t quite remember how to fit together, but he still smells great, just like she remembers, some excellent combination of aftershave, soap, salt water, and Logan. She can’t stop herself from inhaling deeply and breathing him in but he seems slightly flustered, too, and doesn’t notice. 

“Hey, Ronnie.” He knows she hates that nickname. “How’ve you been?” 

She had forgotten the way Logan could express so much with his eyes. Right now they’re happy, full of light. 

“Good. I’ve been good.”

After a pause, she realizes that she’s supposed to say something more. It takes another beat for her brain to remember what it is. “How are you?” 

“Yeah, I’m good, too.” 

“Uh, how was your semester? Finals?” Now that she remembers how conversation works, things are going pretty smoothly, she thinks. She pops open her can of Pepsi with a hiss and takes a sip. 

He nods. “It was fine.”

“Good.” She echoes. The silence stretches on into the uncomfortable territory but just before she is about to make an excuse and flee, someone bumps into Logan, throwing him off balance and into her. 

“Whoa, sorry, Veronica,” he exclaims as he braces her arm to try to keep her from stumbling. It’s unsuccessful. “Oh, shit, sorry,” he says as her Pepsi spills over both of them. 

“Ick. Think you can find us some paper towels?” She makes a face at her sticky hands and he grabs her arm, pulling her into the kitchen area. He hands her a wad of paper towels from a roll by the sink and starts patting at his own shirt. She sticks the arm of her jacket under the faucet of the kitchen sink quickly because while she doesn’t really care about her soda-soaked shirt, this used to be her favorite jacket. Thankfully the water and paper towels fix most of her problem and she turns back to Logan. 

He gives her his slow, half-smile and the awkwardness between them is gone. “So. Stanford, huh?” He asks. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah,” she’s hesitant and he can tell. “It’s…”

He raises an eyebrow. “Intellectual? Challenging? Complicated?”

She nods. “Yes to all of them. I do like it, a lot. It’s harder than I expected, which is dumb, I know. The thing I didn’t expect—I’ve wanted to get out of Neptune so long—I didn’t think I’d miss anything from home but—”

She stops. She can’t believe she was about to have an actual, real conversation about her feelings with Logan Echolls. Maybe because she’s known him for so long, she imagined there was a level of intimacy between them that clearly doesn’t exist. He seems good, though, solid and grounded and she feels a pang of longing, wishing he was still in her life. 

“Well, being away has been different than I expected,” she finishes lamely. 

He nods, though, like it’s not complete and utter nonsense and pulls her out of the kitchen and into a corner where they can keep talking. He makes her tell him about everything, her classes and her roommate and life in the dorms. It’s been months since she’s had someone to talk to like this, someone who knows her, and the words just keep spilling out. In turn, she learns that he has moved out of the Neptune Grand, has changed his major to literature, and is in the process of buying a house. 

She has totally lost track of time when Wallace comes over. He exchanges a complicated handshake with Logan and then subtly pushes her open mouth closed. Since when were Logan and Wallace good enough friends to have a handshake? What had happened between them this semester? She fights down a wave of jealousy and tries to school her features but her arms are crossed over her chest angrily. 

At least Wallace has the grace to say, “Hey, man. I didn’t know you were gonna be here.” Although he doesn’t sound nearly sad enough about it. 

Logan laughs. “Yeah, I wasn’t planning on it but decided I needed to let off some steam after that psych final.”

They are both basically ignoring her and she is ready to stomp her foot like a toddler to get their attention. 

“That was rough!” Wallace is saying, commiserating with Logan. 

“Are you two in class together?” She interjects, fighting her way into the conversation. She tries to act like it’s just a friendly question but based on Wallace’s startled and slightly scared look, it must have come out more like an interrogation. 

“Uh, yeah. Psych 220.” Wallace is hesitant. “V, are you ready to go? I’m gonna drop you off and then take Shandra home.” He wags his eyebrows which makes her think that her wingman efforts were not in vain. 

She reaches out to bump his fist. Before she can agree to this plan, Logan throws his arm around her shoulders. 

“How about I take this one home for you, Wallace, to help your game?” He looks down at her. “If that’s okay with you, Veronica.”

Her eyes hold his for a beat. She knows that he hasn’t been drinking, and he doesn’t seem to mind losing the attention of the curvy blonde from earlier. If he doesn’t mind, she knows she can trust him to get her home safely. Having his arm around her isn’t the worst thing in the world, either. 

“Fine by me,” she murmurs. “For the sake of Wallace’s game, of course.”

“We’ll see you out.” Logan keeps his arm casually slung across her as they walk with Wallace through the crowd back to Shandra in the front room. 

Veronica waves goodbye to Wallace casually from the doorway as Shandra calls out, “Hey, look! Mistletoe!” 

The pretty black girl points up at the plant dangling from the doorframe and then grabs Wallace’s shirt and plants one on him. Wallace looks stunned and giddy but Shandra turns to Veronica and Logan expectantly, braids swinging. 

Logan drops his arm from her shoulders and turns to her, cupping her face gently in his hands. He silently asks with his eyes if it’s okay and she nods. 

Damn. She can no longer convince herself that he wasn’t that great of a kisser. Or that the chemistry between them was dead. 

His lips barely brush against hers but the touch sends shivers through her and she feels like all her nerves are suddenly on alert. 

Logan pulls back to look at her and she can tell that he’s equally affected. Wallace and Shandra say something but it doesn’t register with Veronica; her eyes are still locked on Logan’s. 

“Wanna get out of here?” He murmurs, jerking his thumb in the direction of the door. 

She nods and his hands slip down from her face to rest on her shoulders. His mouth quirks up in the adorable half-smile that turns her insides to goo and she can’t help but smile back. 

He opens the door for her and then she walks beside him to his car, bumping her shoulder into his arm flirtatiously. 

“Still driving the Range Rover, I see,” she comments as he helps her into the passenger seat. 

“Yeah, one of my girlfriends once told me it was my least jackass car so I kept it.” He smirks at her as he starts the car. 

She remembers that conversation and smiles back at him. “Sounds like she was a keeper.”

The words are out of her mouth before she thinks about it and they just hang there, in the air, spoken out loud and she has to force herself not to cringe. 

But he just looks across the car at her with a serious gaze and says, “She was.”

She gulps and glances out the window, deciding it's time to change the subject. “Where are you taking me, anyway?”

He gives her a smug smile and taps his fingers on the steering wheel. “It’s a surprise.”

Clearly, Logan remembers how to push her buttons. 

She huffs. “I bet I could get it out of you.” 

“Do you trust me?” 

She meets his eyes across the car and the silence becomes heavy again. That was the real question, wasn’t it? She hadn’t trusted Logan enough and then, after she ruined everything, she hadn’t trusted herself enough to stay. 

She nods. At least in this, she trusts him. He smiles, half of his mouth quirking up again, and turns back to the road. 

He drives them away from campus and into an upscale neighborhood in the 09 zip. To her surprise, it’s not full of mansions and she doesn’t remember knowing anyone from high school who lived here. Most of the houses look like new construction, though—the grass hasn’t taken root yet everywhere. Logan drives like he knows where he’s going. 

At the back of the addition, he parks the car on the road next to a gravel driveway and the framed outline of a house. 

“Ta-da!” He gestures, Vanna White style, with his hands. “Welcome to Chez Logan.”

She looks out the window again, trying to get a feel for the house amid the wooden beams lit up by security flood lights in the dark. 

Veronica jumps as his hand brushes her knee on his way to the glove box. He pops it open and pulls out a flashlight. 

“Want a tour?”

“You have to ask? Of course.” She grabs the door handle and hops out. He meets her around the other side of the car and notices her shiver in the cool night air. Her leather jacket and a damp t-shirt might not be warm enough to wear outside for long periods of time tonight. 

“Hey, let me see if I can find you something to wear,” he offers, walking around to the back of his SUV and opening the hatch. He pulls out a worn grey Hearst hoodie, shakes the sand off it, and tosses it to her. She tugs it on over her jacket and has zero intentions of returning it. 

“C’mon.” He grabs her hand and switches the flashlight on, helping her navigate the gravel path that will eventually be his driveway. 

“So here,” he sketches in the air with his hand, “will be the garage. Come this way,” he directs her through the open framed space, “and see the kitchen.”

It’s practically impossible for her to visualize how these random wooden beams will turn into a house but Logan’s childlike enthusiasm is contagious and she can’t help but be excited for him. He points out the space for the living room, office, bedrooms, bathrooms, and media room plus outlines his plan for the backyard and outdoor entertainment area. She hears the crashing waves in the quiet and realizes they must be close to the beach. 

“Logan, this is perfect,” she breathes. “Can I come back and see it when it’s finished?”

She turns to face him and can see his eyes shining in the dim light. He takes a step closer to her in what is apparently the living room area, pebbles crunching beneath his feet. 

“I’d really like that.” His voice is low and raspy and the sound of it, intimate and familiar, sends a thrill through her. He grabs her hand. “I didn’t think—I mean, we haven’t really talked—I didn’t know…” He trails off. 

Veronica sighs and drops his hand, turning away and hugging her arms around herself. 

“I know. I decided I needed a fresh start, a clean break, and I was worried—”

He cuts her off and she can hear the anger simmering in his words. 

“But you didn’t need a clean break from Wallace, did you? Or Mac? Just me.” He huffs a bitter laugh. 

She shakes her head miserably. 

“I was so worried, Logan. You went after a mobster for me, I couldn’t have lived with myself if anything bad happened to you.” 

He grabs her shoulders and turns her around to face him. 

“So yeah,” Veronica continues, “I thought I needed to cut you out of my life totally to get over you.”

Even in the limited light, she can see his eyes widen in surprise. 

“Get over me? But before you said...and you dated Piz…”

She shakes her head again. “I lied.”

His hands are still on her shoulders and he starts gently rubbing them. She’s not even sure he knows he’s doing it. 

“And now?” His voice drops into that husky register that makes her think of pillow talk and dirty suggestions whispered in her ear. She shivers and he must think she’s cold again because he starts rubbing his hands up and down along her arms. 

She can’t speak, can’t seem to find the right words. Her mouth opens and closes wordlessly. 

“So is there gonna be a jealous boyfriend who chases me down and punches me over that little kiss under the mistletoe earlier?”

He’s smiling and he moves a step closer to her. She takes a deep breath. She might not be able to talk about her feelings but this she can handle. 

“I’ve only had one boyfriend who would do that,” she smirks at him, reaching out and twinning her arms around his midsection, closing the distance between them. 

“Not true,” he murmurs, leaning his head down towards her again. “Duncan punched me that one time—”

She silences him by pushing up on her tiptoes and brushing her lips against his. 

“I’m pretty sure you were asking for it,” she whispers as he links his arms around her back, holding her loosely. 

“Would I do that?” He looks faux-thoughtful. 

“Mmmhmm,” she kisses him again, this time teasing his lips apart with her tongue and exploring his mouth. It’s been more than a year since she’s kissed Logan and the sheer exhilaration of it sends jolts of pleasure straight to her core. No one else has ever come close to making her feel like he does and she can’t convince herself otherwise when he’s in such close proximity. 

“Veronica,” he pulls away, tightening his hold and staring down at her intently, “what are we doing?”

“No idea.” She wants to kiss him again, kiss away his questions but she closes her eyes and rests her forehead on his chest instead. 

She raises her head and squints. 

“Should I be worried about lovely ladies coming after me with piano wire?”

He laughs and the sound thrills her. 

“That’s only ever been you, Bobcat.”

She shivers again, this time it really is from the cold seeping into her in the damp night air, and he squeezes her once, and then lets go. 

“Think we can find a warmer place to talk?” 

She’s rather proud of the fact that she refrains from suggesting his back seat and only nods, smiling. 

He offers his apartment but Veronica’s not sure that’s a good idea so they settle on the front seat of his car. She thinks back over all the conversations they’ve had in cars before—in high school, on stakeouts, or just driving around—and it seems fitting. 

Logan turns the car on to warm it up and fiddles with a bottle opener dangling from his keychain. He reaches for her hand across the console and plays with her fingers, bending them gently and tracing her nails. She doesn’t know what to say to break the silence. 

“Where is your apartment anyway?” She finally blurts out.

He jerks his head in the direction of the dashboard. 

“It’s pretty close to campus, actually.”

“But your house is not?”

“Nah. I didn’t want it to turn into a party spot. I’m more hoping for a retreat, a place to escape.” He stares over at the wooden beams outlining the frame of his house and she’s so proud of him in this moment—proud of him for managing college and adulthood so well, for not dropping out or failing, at school and life and everything. 

She puts her hand on top of his. 

“Logan, I—” 

She wants to tell him but the words won’t come. She’s not sure it matters that she’s proud of him. He did it without her, after all. 

She clears her throat. 

“Is the beach close by?” She asks instead, adopting a casual tone and twirling the string on his hoodie. 

“Yeah. There’s a nice little path down to the ocean. I’ll take you next time you visit, when it’s a little warmer.” 

He’s staring at her expectantly now and she looks out the windshield at the unfinished neighborhood. She never should have kissed him, she has no right—

And yet. Here she is. Maybe it’s time to forge a new path. Again. One that she actually wants to stay on. She turns in her seat, angling her body to face him. 

“Logan, I cut you out of my life because I thought it was what was best. And maybe it was.” She gestures around at the house in progress outside the window. “You’re obviously doing well.” He starts to speak, to cut her off, but she keeps talking. 

“Things are fine but...I miss having you as a friend in my life. So maybe...I don’t know, we can hang out over break and then keep in touch second semester?”

“How far is it from Neptune to Palo Alto?”

“About an eight hour drive.” She shrugs. “Depending on traffic.”

He gives her a slow grin. “I love a good road trip.”

She smiles back, and feels something that might be hope bloom in her chest. 

“Logan, do you have plans for spring break? Because I’ve heard it’s terrible here.”

He laughs, since Neptune is famous for its spring break crowd. 

“I’d love to get out of town, avoid the tourist traps. Do you have any suggestions?” 

“Have you ever been to Stanford? You should come check it out. The campus is beautiful.”

He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I definitely want to come see beautiful things in Palo Alto. Thank you for inviting me.”

She thinks maybe he’s not talking about the brick buildings as he leans over and brushes his lips against hers softly. 

“Wanna know a secret?” Logan whispers against her lips. 

Veronica pulls back to look at him. 

“It’s like you don’t know me at all! Of course I do.” Her eyes twinkle mischievously at him. 

“I’m pretty sure that was just a pine branch at the party and not actually mistletoe.” His voice is husky and full of laughter. “But I took a chance anyway.”

“Was it worth it?” 

“Definitely.”

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks and holiday wishes go to VeronicaJeanSummers for her beta help on this one!


End file.
